On the edge of our remit at times - but try the ending!
From 1:07:59 to 1:53:10: https://areena.yle.fi/1-50570939?seek=4060
My goodness. Miss (or Mrs) Leiviska's piano concerto is a brilliant work - very "Romantic", very sonorous, and a major work-out for the pianist. I loved it.
Me too. Would Hyperion be interested?
I absolutely agree - it's a powerful and, as Gareth wrote, sonorous piece. Most individual and impressive. I've made a set of mp3s from the video and they're available in our Downloads Board here (https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,8849.0.html).
Lovely - thanks very much, Mark.
Yes, many thanks indeed. I will try to interest Hyperion.
I wonder what a suitable coupling might be. Any ideas, Gareth?
I would suggest Ernst Linko's 2nd Concerto, which would keep things Finnish! it weighs in at just under 19 minutes, so would be ideal from a length perspective. This work has always been a favourite of mine since I discovered it on this forum!
Phew! Another Finnish unknown - introduced to me (us?) by this powerful gem of a movement. Thank you, Alan.
Maybe couple with the PC of Kimmo Hakola? A little advanced and, possibly, beyond consideration - but it's a whirlwind of a piece running just under one hour.
Here's Ernst Linko's PC2 of 1918-20:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcbE4Z951Fo
A great suggestion, Martin!
See this previous thread:
https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6677.0/sslRedirect.html
Ernst Linko happened to be the pianist who premiered Leiviskä's concerto back in the day, by the way. Linko's #2 would make a good coupling - or even better would be #1, which is still unrecorded. It's also a short piece, somewhere within 15-20 mins or so.
My initial thought was the PC of Ilmari Hannikainnen but the Linko concerto No. 2 (or No. 1 for that matter) is an obvious candidate.
Mark,
Having a problem with the new Leiviska download - my PC, after clicking on your Mediafire link, starts a new tab and then immediately closes it and jumps back to where it came from. Is it just my PC or a quirk with the link?
Any help appreciated
Richard Moss
Mark,
Apologies for my stupidity - I hadn't noticed the download was executed so quickly. No probs after all!!
Richard
Wholeheartedly agree with all the positive responses. What a thoroughly engaging concerto, I was entranced. This lady was shockingly talented. Thank you for posting it, Alan.
Great news! A recording is forthcoming (1st September) on Hänssler - from our friend Oliver Triendl, no less!
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/helvi-leiviskae-klavierkonzert-d-moll-op-7/hnum/11531743
What a marvel he is, he is due so much gratitude for his services to the unsung.
Excellent news. Thank you very much, Alan. Herr Triendl is a great champion of the unsung. I am wondering if he might be interested in the works for piano & orchestra of Hungarian composer Jakob Gyulya Major (mss. in Hungarian National Library, and the Concerto Symphonique published with score and parts in Fleisher). Do you have contact information for him?
You could PM him, Gareth. He's a member here and he'd get an email notification.
Thanks. I might do that.
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Sunday 25 June 2023, 09:39What a marvel he is, he is due so much gratitude for his services to the unsung.
I'm sure all at UC agree, Mark. :)
Audio samples are now available at jpc - see above for link.
In fact, the CD is already available here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CBQX5BFD?psc=1&smid=A2KJL3U9Z5P7MB&ref_=chk_typ_imgToDp
The finale of Leiviskä's PC in particular exhibits such an exalted level of compositional inspiration that one can only marvel that it is all but unknown. It is surely one of the great piano concertos of the last century.
Oh, and kudos to all concerned - especially our friend Oliver Triendl, who plays heroically!
As the person who transcribed Leiviskä's Concerto (and 1st symphony) from the remaining manuscripts (piano part messed up by the 1935 soloist and instrument parts), I am very happy that it is reaching the listeners. If anyone is interested in (mostly Scandinavian) woman composers of 1870-1960, I now have access to lots of material and our Society has engraved quite many works, too.
Thanks for all the great work you've been doing and we look forward to news of further projects which you may be planning.
There is another disc on its way soon (December), but sadly all I can see is the orchestra and conductor, and "Orchestral Music Vol 1":
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/helvi-leiviska-orchestral-works-vol-1/hnum/11663198 (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/helvi-leiviska-orchestral-works-vol-1/hnum/11663198)
I tried the conductor's website, but it while it mentioned this was in preparation, no details were given.
Can anyone else shine more light on this?
The full details with soundclips are on the Chandos website <https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/BI%202701>. Sinfonia brevis,Op. 30; Orchestral Suite No. 2, Op. 11; and Symphony No. 2, Op. 27.
Thank you, looking forward to its release ;D
It never ceases to amaze me how different we react to music. This piano concerto is nothing but incongruous, prosaic, discursive and terribly long for its unmemorable material. Only the third movement sounded slightly more promising with its uplifting character. I'm curious as to why the rest of people on here find it good.
Well, you make the point very well. We're all different! For example, I think the opening movement of Brahms 1 lumbers along in rather prosaic fashion - so shoot me down!
I think my father agrees with you on that point, while I partly disagree with you both, fwiw. :)
Though I'd still rather have more recordings of JB's choral music (e.g.) than another cycle of his 4 symphonies, much as I adore them!
Quote from: Tapiola on Sunday 05 November 2023, 19:03It never ceases to amaze me how different we react to music. This piano concerto is nothing but incongruous, prosaic, discursive and terribly long for its unmemorable material. Only the third movement sounded slightly more promising with its uplifting character. I'm curious as to why the rest of people on here find it good.
I completely agree, Tuomas, I'm afraid that nothing I've heard by Leiviskä enthuses me, but that matters not one jot. The important thing is that her music is available to be listened to by those who
do appreciate it.
As for Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto's opening movement: Alan, I'm shocked to the core! It's magnificent.
I thought he meant Brahms' first symphony, whoops.
Eric's right: I meant Brahms' 1st symphony. Apologies for my lack of clarity. Anyway, I'm only echoing what the late, great Alan Krueck thought!
... and I'm mollified by your clarification, Alan. Not only mollified - I agree with both you and dear old Alan K. It does make the finale of the Symphony all the more glorious, though. Anyway, back to Leiviskä I guess.
I've always thought that the finale of Brahms' 1st Symphony was something along the lines of a symphonic poem (and a glorious one at that). Clearly he was inspired by the finale of Beethoven's 9th (big tune, etc.), but it does seem to me that, by comparison, the first movement is a bit dour. Anyway, as you say, back to Leiviskä...